One dead after legionnaires' outbreak
NSW Health said 12 people who spent time in the city and surrounding suburbs between March and April had contracted the deadly disease.
'Sadly, one of the people who contracted the disease passed away in hospital last week,' a NSW Health spokesman said on Wednesday.
Authorities tested more than 165 cooling towers in the city and detected legionella bacteria in one.
The cooling tower is being decontaminated and further tests are being conducted to determine if it was the source of the outbreak. Authorities tested more than 165 cooling towers in Sydney and detected legionella bacteria in one, which is being decontaminated. Supplied/ Janice Haney Carr/ Public Health Credit: Supplied Authorities urge anyone who was in Sydney's CBD or surrounding suburbs between March and April to be aware of symptoms. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia
Anyone who was in the Sydney CBD and surrounding suburbs between March and April is urged to be aware of symptoms including fever, chills, coughing and shortness of breath.
Symptoms can develop up to 10 days after exposure and anyone who experiences symptoms should see their doctor.
South Eastern Sydney Local Heath District Public Health Unit Director Vicky Sheppeard said 11 people with the disease had been hospitalised and one person received care out of hospital.
'Legionnaires' disease is caused by infection with legionella bacteria,' Dr Sheppeard said. NSW Health confirmed 12 people have contracted legionnaires' disease who spent time in Sydney's CBD and surrounding suburbs between March and April. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia
'Outbreaks sometimes occur when bacteria from environmental sources such as cooling towers atop large buildings become contaminated. It is not spread from person to person.
'NSW Health continues to work closely with the City of Sydney to identify, inspect and sample any cooling towers in the CBD potentially implicated in the outbreak.
'Most building owners have responded quickly to ensure that their cooling towers are operated and maintained in compliance with the NSW Public Health Regulation 2022.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Sky News AU
Victim of fatal bite bat who died after contracting rare virus identified as carpenter and father of two
A man who died after contracting the first recorded case of a rare virus in New South Wales has been identified as a carpenter and father of three. The Daily Telegraph has revealed Craig Nolte, aged in his 50s, as the man from the state's Northern Rivers region who died after he was bitten by a bat eight months ago. It is understood Mr Nolte received a bite to a finger when he attempted to free the animal from his veranda, according to the masthead. A NSW Health spokesperson confirmed on July 2 that a man had contracted Australian bat lyssavirus after being bitten by a bat several months prior. Director in Health Protection at NSW Health Keira Glasgow confirmed the man became the state's first recorded case of the rare virus, which is closely related to the rabies virus. The health authority announced the next day the man had succumbed to the illness after fighting for his life in hospital. "We express our sincere condolences to the man's family and friends for their tragic loss," a spokesperson said. "While it is extremely rare to see a case of Australian bat lyssavirus, there is no effective treatment for it." Mr Nolte's wife Robyn claims her husband died despite being receiving the immunoglobulin rabies vaccine. 'I said goodbye to Craig on the 3rd of July to a very quick case of lyssavirus,' Robyn said in a post on social media on Wednesday. 'Before anyone says anything yes eight months ago Craig got bitten and he got the post exposure prophylaxis injections. NSW health (is) still grappling in their words to how this happened that the injection didn't work.' 'RIP my love my best friend." According to The Daily Telegraph, NSW Health said in a statement on Wednesday that it is investigating the circumstances surrounding Mr Nolte's illness. 'An investigation is underway to understand factors which may have played a role in his illness' the statement said. "Post-exposure prophylaxis for lyssavirus exposure includes both immunoglobulin and at least four vaccines given over several weeks." Ms Glasgow earlier this month urged caution over lyssavirus, advising people to assume that any bat in the country could be carrying the virus. 'If you are bitten or scratched by a bat, urgent medical assessment is crucial,' Ms Glasgow said in a statement. 'You will need to wash the wound thoroughly for 15 minutes right away with soap and water and apply an antiseptic with anti-virus action, such as betadine, and allow it to dry. You will then require treatment with rabies immunoglobulin and rabies vaccine.' The virus has also been found in other animals including species of flying foxes, fruit bats and insect-eating microbats.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
Bold push for new tax on soft drink, juices
A sugar tax on soft drink, sweetened juice and cordial is being backed as a way to reduce soaring rates of obesity and diabetes. Coinciding with National Diabetes Week, the Australian Medical Association has called for a new tax at a rate of 50c per 100g of added sugar, to be paid by beverage manufacturers. Under the proposal, a standard 375mL of full-sugar Coke with 39.8g of sugar would incur a tax of 19.9c, while a 600mL bottle of Berry Ice Powerade would be hit with a 17.8c levy for its 34.8g of sugar. Macarthur MP Michael Freelander, who is also a practising pediatrician, said a levy on sugar-sweetened beverages would encourage companies to put less sugar in drinks, however a tax should be considered alongside of broader education measures. 'I think that we owe it to the next generation to try and make sure they are healthier than our generation,' he told NewsWire. 'And what we're now seeing is children presenting with obesity and with type two diabetes. And we should not be seeing that.' The AMA has called for a new tax . NewsWire/ John Gass Credit: News Corp Australia In 2024, costings released by the Parliamentary Budget Office and requested by Dr Freelander found a 20 per cent tax on sugar-sweetened beverages would boost revenue by more than $1.3bn in two years, however he said any policies should be trialled before further implementation. Dr Freelander stressed education was the best way to improve public health outcomes. These included town planning to ensure children could walk to schools and shopping centres and not fast food outlets, plus increased access to healthy food, like subsidies on 'certain forms of food'. 'We do now see lots of societal changes that are causing health problems and one of the issues is the access to highly processed foods,' he said. 'So it's not just about drinks, it's also about making people aware of the dangers of high calorie highly-processed foods.' The Australian Medical Association have renewed calls for a sugar tax on sweetened drinks like soft drink, juice and cordials. Mike Freelander said he supported a levy on sweetened drinks but said a tax should be implemented alongside measures to boost public health. NewsWire/ Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia AMA Vice President Julian Rait said the sugar tax was the 'best chance' or reducing rates of obesity and chronic disease like type 2 diabetes. He said the proposal would drive down consumption by 2kg per person and increase the budget bottomline by $3.6bn which could be 'invested in other crucial preventive health measures'. He added that more than 100 jurisdictions have implemented a sugar tax, like the UK, France, Mexico and Ireland. 'For people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, reducing sugar intake through swaps like drinking water over soft drinks can make a profound difference to their long-term health,' he said. 'Last year it was revealed the sugar content in popular soft drink Fanta had increased by 60 per cent, despite industry assurances that sugary drinks were being reformulated.' Health Minister Mark Butler said Labor had ruled out a potential levy or tax, and said the government's priorities were on 'front-of-pack labelling' and working with companies to reduce the amount of sugar in foods. 'There is no plan in our government for a sugar tax. We're instead focusing on education and also working with food manufacturers to reduce the amount of sugar that they put into their products,' he said in late May after the federal election. As it stands, health labels are administered by the Health Star Rating system which companies can voluntarily adhere to.
7NEWS
2 days ago
- 7NEWS
Craig Nolte: Man who died from lyssavirus after bat bite identified as 56-year-old tradie
An Australian who died after being bitten by a bat has been identified, with his devastated wife now raising questions about how the situation took such a tragic turn, despite him receiving treatment. Craig Nolte, who was a carpenter, was reportedly trying to free a bat that had flown onto his balcony when he was bitten on the finger in November 2024. The 56-year-old, from Ballina in northern NSW, received treatment after the incident, but he later fell into a critical condition, according to NSW Health. Mr Nolte's wife, Robyn, is now scratching her head over how her husband's health changed so dramatically, claiming he was given the immunoglobulin rabies vaccine that 'didn't work'. The vaccine is a crucial component of post-exposure prophylaxis for rabies, preventing infection caused by the virus. Mrs Nolte took to social media to pay tribute to her husband and express her frustration over having few answers around why the vaccine wasn't effective. 'I need to put this out to the community as Craig, Zebbo, was a local and having owned Ballina kiddi care childcare for 18 years, we knew a lot of families,' she wrote. 'Before anyone says anything, yes, 8 months ago Craig got bitten and he got the post-exposure prophylaxis injections. 'NSW health still grappling in their words to how this happened, that the injection didn't work. 'RIP my love, my best friend.' Extensive exposure wounds close to innervated areas like fingers carry increased infection risk, resulting in a shorter incubation period of the lyssavirus, medical advice says. The father-of-two was the first confirmed human case of lyssavirus in NSW and only the fourth in the country. Lyssavirus infections are extremely rare but deadly. The disease causes severe neurological symptoms similar to rabies and is almost always fatal once symptoms appear.
